Halbach says the foreclosure crisis is pushing more people in the rental housing and driving up competition, and thus rental costs for the units.

Halbach says the average rents for St. Paul and Minneapolis rental housing are $1,000 to $1,100 a month.

"A thousand dollars and more per month is very unaffordable for people who make minimum wage. or even eight, nine, 10, 11 dollars an hour. You just cannot afford apartments at that rate," said Halbach.

Congress has more than half a dozen initiatives before it to address housing affordability, but Halbach says their price tag has delayed approval.